(a) Leave without pay, annual leave and sick leave shall be granted in accordance with regulations issued by the Governor; provided, however, that any regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, leave without pay shall be freely granted to any government employee for the purpose of campaigning as a candidate for public office in American Samoa for a period beginning 30 days before and ending 10 days after the date set for the election.

(b) Leave without pay may not be granted for periods of more than 1 year unless otherwise provided in the regulations, and then only for reasons which are determined to be in the interest of the government.